Syamasundara dasa

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate romapada-svamin iti namine

“I offer my respectful obeisances at the dust of Srila Romapada Swami Maharaja’s most merciful lotus feet who is so dear to Supreme Lord Sri Krsna having taken shelter at His lotus feet.”

Dear and most respected Guru Maharaja,

I’m very grateful and indebted to your holiness for visiting our home in the Bay area by doing a home program which is the first one ever in almost eight years. That’s when I started practicing Krsna consciousness. I could not believe myself for having got this opportunity. My joy knew no bounds after the program because we invited some new people to the program and all of them showed up and you even interacted with them on a personal level. I’m deeply satisfied with your gracious presence in enlightening the topic about mutually supportive roles of Sri-Nama and Srimad-Bhagavatam. You were so personal when I asked any question. You answered very personally and I felt you knew my heart. Everyone felt happy that they could attend and hear from you Guru Maharaja. Prasadam was excellent at the end of the program which is not complete without it. This is your mood to distribute prasadam to one and all which is the mood of our dear Founder-acarya His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. This is the second time your holiness visited the Bay area and I felt it’s a great boon and blessing. Even for people like us living in the desert area, there is a lot of hope that we can quench our thirst with Fiji water. My appreciation grew many-fold in your second visit to take more of your association by faithfully hearing and serving your kind instructions for my own benefit to come out of my comfort zone especially having a newborn son in the house that the regulation wasn’t maintained that well. When I wrote to you, you have kindly replied with your merciful instruction of keeping the higher goal in focus, all other duties at home and at work will be aligned properly.

Guru Maharaja, I would like to practice empathic communication (non-violent communication) with others by first being compassionate to myself. Some of the devotees are conducting various seminars so I’m taking advantage of them. I’m very very grateful to His Holiness Bir Krsna Gosvami Maharaja, Karuna care training awareness and some other prominent TED talk speakers, materials, etc., which were all by your causeless mercy as a loving father would deliver unto an immature son all the gifts that he needs to attain a firm shelter at the Lord’s lotus feet. Your holiness was the first point of contact on how to practice empathic communication by conducting two retreats in two years subsequently in the Gita-nagari farm community. You had kindly mentioned watching a TED talk vulnerability video featuring Dr. Brene Brown as to how she says we should not be afraid of being vulnerable. Without you mentioning about the TED talk, I would have no clue at all. I’m learning how to feel my negative emotions when there is some unmet need that I’m trying to fulfill. At least there is little awareness that feeling negative emotion is not uncommon to humans and which is not wrong. I don’t have to beat myself up thinking I had to function at a very high platform although I’m down there which I think would be an unrealistic expectation that I impose upon myself. Although I tend to be a little perfectionistic at times, she says perfectionism is addiction and seduction. Her point is self-compassion is better than perfectionism and it is in line with Srimad-Bhagavatam.

krtva dayam ca jivesu
dattva cabhayam atmavan
mayy atmanam saha jagad
draksyasy atmani capi mam

“Showing compassion to all living entities, you will attain self-realization. Giving assurance of safety to all, you will perceive your own self as well as all the universes in Me, and Myself in you.” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.21.31]

Lord Krsna is very kind upon me that he sent some very good association of late which I thought was a tremendous inspiration for me to self care without abnegating my own needs and feelings. It was a great opportunity for me to take the association because they brought Your Holiness’ causeless mercy since they are serving you dearly and closely, making your lotus feet their life and soul. You emphasized association is all about serving and not just hanging out with the devotees. If we hear Srimad-Bhagavatam nicely then it means that one should serve the devotees selflessly without any reservation. You are the epitome of exemplary service to your spiritual master His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and you have been doing this consistently for fifty-two years for preaching his mission. I wish I could imbibe a drop of your ocean of spiritual qualities, determination, and service attitude in this life so I can make a heart-to-heart connection with you and attain Krsna’s shelter simultaneously.

I pray to Lord Nrsimhadeva to give you good health so you can inspire so many conditioned souls like me by traveling and spreading the mission of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu far and wide to every nook and corner of this universe whoever comes in contact under your orbit.

Hare Krsna!

Your aspiring servant,
Syamasundara dasa